| | | | |  | | By Eli Okun | Presented by Zelle® | |  | THE CATCH-UP | | |  A gusher of money is hitting the top Senate races, including for Michigan Republican Mike Rogers. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images | CASH DASH — The next two weeks are a big period for FEC filing deadlines. As fundraising numbers roll in and campaigns tee up major advertising runs for the final lap of the election, we’re getting the clearest picture yet of how gobsmacking waves of money could affect who wins in November. In the race to win the Senate, Democrats’ outside super PAC slightly outpaced that of Republicans in the third quarter. Senate Majority PAC pulled in $119 million, Axios’ Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam report, versus $114.5 million for the Senate Leadership Fund, per Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser. But the Senate GOP-aligned SLF went into October with slightly more money in the bank, $112 million to $109 million. These are all massive numbers that guarantee swing-state voters will not be able to escape political ads for the next month. Commensurate spending is ramping up for Senate candidates in both parties. SLF is spending an additional $10.5 million to boost Republican MIKE ROGERS in the Michigan contest, Axios’ Stef Kight reports, as a new AARP poll finds him down by 3 points to Democratic Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN. SCOOP: In Pennsylvania, Republican DAVE McCORMICK is launching a new ad campaign that slams Democratic Sen. BOB CASEY for his false claim about McCormick planning to cut entitlements, per Daniel Lippman. Running for a week statewide beginning today, the ad, “Pinocchio Bob,” leans directly into WaPo’s four-alarm fact check. The two meet tonight for their second and final debate. Watch the ad here And in Florida, DEBBIE MUCARSEL-POWELL is urgently asking for more money to have a shot at winning as polls show her trailing Republican Sen. RICK SCOTT, NBC’s Alexandra Marquez reports. Her campaign and the DSCC are launching new joint ads this week, as Democrats try to make a go at Florida and especially Texas, though Semafor’s Dave Weigel and Burgess Everett note that it’s an uphill climb. In the presidential contest, VP KAMALA HARRIS’ campaign has said privately that they pulled in a whopping $100 million in September from major donors, NYT’s Teddy Schleifer reports. Having repeatedly outraised DONALD TRUMP, Harris now occupies the unusual position of needing to convince some donors that she does actually still want more contributions. The Harris team’s delayed announcement of the latest numbers reflects the fear of scaring away small donors in the final stretch, per the Times. The Harris campaign’s latest ad, together with the DNC, specifically warns progressives in Philadelphia and Milwaukee against voting for JILL STEIN, Emmy Martin reports. “A vote for Stein is really a vote for Trump,” it intones. On the GOP side, new filings peel back the curtain on two mysterious super PACs that have launched controversial ads seeking to siphon Muslim and young male voters away from Harris, NYT’s Maggie Haberman and Schleifer report. Building America’s Future, which is supported by ELON MUSK and other prominent Republicans, turns out to have been the funder of the PACs. Related reads: “Trump Leans On Creative Bookkeeping to Keep Up in Cash Race,” by NYT’s Shane Goldmacher and Haberman … “Trump’s Campaign Manager Chris LaCivita’s Multi-Million Payday Revealed,” by Michael Isikoff in The Daily Beast GOING NUCLEAR — Former Trump administration officials including MARK HARVEY and MILES TAYLOR sound an alarm about Trump’s nuclear authorities in a second term in new reporting from Time’s Brian Bennett . The “Doomsday Book” outlines unusual secret powers a president can deploy in the event of a nuclear or other catastrophe. And when Trump was in the White House previously, Bennett writes, staffers “actively worked to keep him from learning the full extent of these interpretations of presidential authority, concerned that he would abuse them.” Some critics, including Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.), want more info about the orders to be made public. DEMOCRACY WATCH — “Fulton judge rules that election certification is mandatory in Georgia,” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mark Niesse: County election boards are “not allowed to refuse finalizing results based on suspicions of miscounts or fraud, a Fulton County judge ruled Tuesday.” Good Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Zelle®: Millions of people already count on Zelle® to send and receive money. And our impact doesn't stop there. We're helping users spot scams and fraud. Take Safety 101. | | | | | 9 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | |  VP Kamala Harris may be struggling to get the necessary level of Black voter support in Michigan. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | 1. THE SHOWDOWN IN MOTOWN: As Harris is in Detroit today, the AARP poll finds her tied with Trump in Michigan in a multi-candidate field, or Trump leading by 1 head to head. Her struggles in the state stem partly from weakness with Black voters in Detroit, where NYT’s Mitch Smith reports that local Democrats think the campaign is lacking — that it “had seemed to lack urgency, had failed to produce enough yard signs or had not sufficiently mobilized local officials.” WaPo’s Michael Brice-Saddler returns to Pontiac, where he found Black men wavering on President JOE BIDEN a year ago, and reports that many of them remain unconvinced by Harris: “They still cannot see themselves in the Democratic platform.” On the flip side, Trump’s recent insult of Detroit runs the risk of turning off urban voters, as he returns to 2020-style apocalyptic rhetoric about America’s big cities, NBC’s Henry Gomez, Jonathan Allen and Matt Dixon report . Another crucial demographic in Michigan and across the Blue Wall is working-class white women, who could power Trump to victory if Harris doesn’t remain somewhat competitive with them, CNN’s Ronald Brownstein writes. 2. MATTHEW KACSMARYK, HERE WE COME: “How a Town in Texas Could Restrict Abortion Nationwide,” by NOTUS’ Oriana González: “Amarillo, Texas … is set to consider a measure that would declare the city a ‘sanctuary city for the unborn.’ … If the ordinance is adopted, the city could become involved in an abortion pill case the Supreme Court sent back to the lower courts last term. … If Amarillo passes the ordinance, anti-abortion advocates think it could have standing. And, not coincidentally, Amarillo’s only federal judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee who has openly opposed Roe v. Wade, would take the case.” 3. BACKING OUT: Trump was due to appear for a previously unannounced interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” but JOE KERNEN said today that Trump had suddenly canceled, per The Daily Beast. The Trump campaign cited a scheduling conflict. 4. SURVEY SAYS: An internal poll for DAN OSBORN has the Nebraska independent leading in the Senate race, 50 percent to 44 percent, per National Journal Hotline’s Nicholas Anastácio. That’s a notable threshold for Osborn to cross — but GOP internal polling lately has moved in the opposite direction, showing Sen. DEB FISCHER with a lead. Nonpartisan surveys have been scarce.
| | | | REQUEST AN INVITATION: 13TH ANNUAL MERIDIAN SUMMIT: Executives, diplomats, and policymakers are working to anticipate shifts shaping the future. The 2024 Meridian Summit highlights trends, risks, and opportunities shaping our world, empowering decision-makers like you to navigate a complex geopolitical landscape. Request an invitation here. | | | | | 5. MIDDLE EAST LATEST: The THAAD anti-missile defense system sent by the Biden administration officially started to arrive in Israel today, per WaPo. As the U.S. keeps trying to pressure Israel, Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN have sent a letter warning that Israel has 30 days to ameliorate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis or face consequences for future U.S. aid, per Axios’ Barak Ravid. 6. NEW POLICY PLAN: “Walz to unveil Harris’ plan for rural voters as campaign looks to cut into Trump’s edge,” by AP’s Zeke Miller: “The Harris-Walz plan includes a focus on improving rural health care, such as plans to recruit 10,000 new health care professionals in rural and tribal areas through scholarships, loan forgiveness and new grant programs, as well as economic and agricultural policy priorities. … [Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ ] is also starring in a new radio ad for the campaign highlighting his roots in a small town of 400 people and his time coaching football.” 7. SCOTUS WATCH: The Supreme Court today declined to take up a case about whether Pennsylvania can restrict the gun rights of 18- to 20-year-olds, Bloomberg’s Greg Stohr reports . Instead, the justices said a lower court that blocked the law needs to reconsider in light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding restrictions on people who have domestic violence restraining orders. 8. CHIPS AND DIP: “Biden admin to provide $750 million to North Carolina-based Wolfspeed for advanced computer chips,” by AP’s Josh Boak: “The North Carolina-based company’s two projects are estimated to create 2,000 manufacturing jobs as part of a more than $6 billion expansion plan.” 9. REALITY CHECK: “Trump’s Border Plans Are Light on Details but Strong on Fury,” by NYT’s Zolan Kanno-Youngs: “Trump left out a crucial detail when promoting his proposal to hire 10,000 new agents to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border. He did not say where these legions of new agents would come from. Given its longtime struggles with recruitment, it would take the U.S. Border Patrol years to ramp up hiring to that extent, if it ever could. … [W]hen it comes to the former president’s vision for border security, hyperbolic rhetoric, rather than substantive solutions, often wins out.”
| | | | A message from Zelle®:   Pay it safe with Zelle®. https://www.zellepay.com/safety-education | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Mark Robinson said he’s filing a $50 million defamation lawsuit against CNN. Nathan Wade is on the Hill for his deposition. Donald Trump attacked Kamala Harris for her seasonal allergies. Tina Brown has started a Substack. WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Ramon Escobar is now managing director at Actum. He previously was director for Western Hemisphere strategy at the NSC. TRANSITIONS — Grady Bourn is now SVP at Washington Navigators, leading its appropriations practice. He previously was a longtime senior appropriations staff member and legislative director to Rep. John Carter (R-Texas). … Nathan Barankin is now senior adviser to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Chris Cadelago reports. He is a political consultant and strategist who previously was chief of staff to Kamala Harris in the Senate. … … Jenny Fleury has rejoined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the antitrust, competition and economic regulation practice. She previously was deputy chief trial counsel for the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. … Keith Benjamin is now a VP at STV. He most recently was associate administrator for highway policy and external affairs at the Federal Highway Administration. WEEKEND WEDDING — Ashlee Bierworth, a professional staff member for the House Rules Committee, and James Anderson, associate director of events at Atlas Network, got married Saturday at the Court Manor in New Market, Virginia. They met in D.C. in 2019. Pic … Another pic WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Katelyn Shelton, bioethics fellow at the Paul Ramsey Institute and a Trump HHS alum, and John Shelton, policy director for Advancing American Freedom, welcomed their fourth child, Elizabeth Jane Shelton, yesterday. Pic … Another pic Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
